Thanks to her, women stopped being ashamed of being bigger than a C cup,” she says. “Oprah single-handedly shifted the bra market. They see a cup or back size that’s not as profitable and they pull it.” The beauty of these European companies is that they aren’t afraid of making sizes that won’t sell out right away because “they know that eventually they’re going to sell.” Koch credits Oprah for an uptick in the production of larger cup sizes, following several bras-for-bigger-busts segments she aired in the mid-2000s. He’s baffled, but says he thinks that “unfortunately, the U.S. They’re doing it right,” says Danny Koch, the fourth-generation owner. “It’s the French, the British, and the Belgians. With the exception of Natori, they’re all based in Europe. All three of them were sexy, and held me exactly as I wanted - tight enough to keep my breasts from bouncing when I walked, but not so restrictive that they left uncomfortable band marks on my ribs.Ĭhantelle, along with Marie Jo, Prima Donna, Empreinte, Natori, and Anita are among the Town Shop’s top-selling brands right now. The former was a black demi cup that made me feel like my boobs were pieces of art on display while the latter was dark purple and offered more coverage. The other two were also lacy, but pad-less. It was finished with a thin lace trim and had a little bead in the center. The T-shirt bra was dark gray and thinly padded so it would be virtually invisible under a top. My first time there the saleswoman brought me three Chantelle bras - one for T-shirts, one for looser dresses, and one for everyday wear. They step into the dressing room with you, they listen to your needs, tastes, and demands, and they come back with options that are aesthetically pleasing as they are functional. They take one look at your breasts and they know what size you are. The Town Shop, which carries bras from 70 different vendors in cup sizes ranging from AA to K, and back sizes 28 to 46 (combined, the two become the number you know to be your bra size), is a magical place, and the women who work there are magicians. “It will change your life,” she promised. A similarly busted friend told me she bought all her bras at a specialty store on the Upper West Side in New York City, the Town Shop. I discovered this later than a French girl should, and strangely enough, in America. Walk into nearly any American lingerie purveyor and you’ll find that most of the offerings are beautiful up to a size C, if they even carry anything past a D at all.įrench lingerie taught me you don’t have to be relegated to the sad, beige, and ribbon-less corner of the Macy’s lingerie department if you have big boobs. If you’re a shoe size 8 or above, you probably gave up on vintage shoes long ago. Years of having a large chest has taught me that bras are like vintage shoes: They’re only cute if they’re really small. I convinced myself a little discomfort - be it having each boob cut into two by a minuscule cup, or the awkward gym-class dance I’d do trying to keep them from bouncing when running or playing basketball - was part of being alive. Would you like to try this one instead?” Like most of the other girls my age, I’d opt for the better-looking option. “I’m sorry,” the well-meaning saleswoman would plead, “but we don’t have that bra in a higher size. A pretty lacy number with painted flowers would suddenly morph into a heavily seamed and padded contraption in a sad shade of white or beige. I never questioned the 34C, in part because American bras bigger than a D cup are just so ugly. I don’t remember if I felt awkward, but I do remember the verdict was an unwavering 34C. I don’t remember if the women who fit me were young or old, experienced or inexperienced. I don’t think I got fitted more than once or twice. Throughout my teenage years, like everyone else, I shopped at Gap Body and Victoria’s Secret. It’s not exactly a matter of choice - America just doesn’t do big boobs justice. “I buy all my bras in Paris,” I once confessed to an ex, who laughed, because that’s by far the bougiest thing about me. Don’t condemn yourself to ugly, schlumpy bras - the Cut is devoting this week to finding sexy, supportive styles for big boobs. Photo: Valery Voennyy/Getty Images/iStockphotoīreasts come in plenty of shapes and sizes, but there are certain challenges that come with being larger than a 34B.
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